In-School Workshops

Theatre Institute at Sage In-School Workshops combine a presentation and participation format designed to engage and challenge students.

Voice & Diction (Grades 6-8)

How does your voice work? How does your body produce sound? How can you use your lips, teeth and tongue to speak clearly? How do identifying your point, focusing on your audience instead of yourself and driving to the end of the sentence help? This workshop will introduce practical techniques to build communication skills.

Playwriting/Dialogue (Grades 6-8)

What should my characters say to each other? What makes dialogue natural? How does a scene between two characters develop and change from start to finish? Drama is about the spoken word. Dialogue is the vehicle through which we come to care about the characters and their journey. Learn how to create compelling and dramatic conversations.

Acting Technique (Grades 6-12)

“Objective + Obstacle = Conflict” Learn how actors use their bodies, voices and imaginations to bring characters to life by pursuing Objectives and responding to Obstacles. Discover the dramatic power of making strong choices, creating high stakes and employing a variety of tactics in your acting. Experiment with strategies for maneuvering and manipulating other characters in order to achieve your goal in a scene. Hone your craft by refining your acting technique.

Character Analysis (Grades 6-12)

What is a character? What defines and drives the actions of a character? How do you differentiate one character from another? Whether studying a character from an existing piece of literature or creating a new one, the basics of character analysis are essential to understanding the complexities and simplicities of compelling personalities.

Stage Combat (Grades 7-12)

From prat falls to swordfights, a simple push to an intricate battle, students will be introduced to safe, repeatable techniques of physical comedy and drama. All instruction is approached with an emphasis on safety and technique, emphasizing the importance of acting as the primary tool with which to create the illusion.

Shakespeare Performance (Grades 8-12)

Why is it that when some actors speak Shakespeare you understand exactly what they are talking about? How do actors use their voices and language to convey Shakespeare’s text? This workshop introduces students to the joy of speaking Shakespeare’s words. In so doing, students gain an appreciation of both spoken and written literature.

Playwrighting/Dramatic Structure (Grades 9-12)

Act I: Our hero sets off down the river in a row boat. Act II: Our hero loses an oar, runs into rapids and starts to panic. Act III: our hero can hear a roaring waterfall around the next bend! The oar is gone! The boat is beginning to leak! What will happen?!

From Aristotle and the Greeks to present-day films, the three-act structure is the primary outline of dramatic storytelling. Learn the basics of this essential writer’s tool.

Directing (Grades 9-12)

How do you capture the attention of your audience and keep them enthralled? What does a director do? How does a director focus the action of the story to clarify character relationships, forward momentum and the central conflict of the story? How does a director keep the play interesting, exciting and fun? A stage director is first and foremost a storyteller. This workshop defines the function of the director and introduces the students to how decisions are made.